Circular knitting machine



April 12,1949 F. E. DEANs ErAL l 2,466,933

CIRCULAR KNI'ITING MACHINE' April 12, 1949. F. F. DEANs Erm.

\ CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE f med Feb. 27, 1948 F/AGZ www ' 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 12, 1949 UNITED vSTATIS PATENT OFFICE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Frederick Edward Deans and Carlyle Herbert Wainwright, Leicester, England, assignors to The Bentley Engineering Company Limited,

Leicester, England Application February 27, 1948, Serial No. 11,748 In Great Britain March 3, 1947 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-14) This invention concerns circular knitting machines and means therein for holding stationary a member which is located between two rotating members that are nested one inside the other. vide two separate drives for the two rotating members, including two separate support members therefor each with its bearing. Such known arrangements have disadvantages, including weight, complexity, and multiplicity of parts. `The present invention provides in a circular" knitting machine, the combination of two rotary members nested one inside the other, a stationary .member interposed between them, a common Ais such that at all times at least one element is operative.

This construction has considerable advantages over previous constructions. It comprises far -fewer parts, is more compact and lighter, and there is less friction due to the use of one bearing system instead of two. It is possible to achieve a greater accessibility of the mechanism and of its component parts, with considerable facility for dismantling. Axial alignment and concentricity of the rotating parts is very readily obtained because the two rotary members are attached to a common support and may run in a single set of bearings. Furthermore, the moving parts are light, and this is a point which is of considerable importance in machines wherein the rotary parts have also to be capable at times of being oscillated.

While it is Within the scope of the invention to mount the locking elements on the stationary Amember and to cause them to engage with another stationary member yet it is preferred, for the sake of simplicity in construction and robustness, to have a stationary support for the locking elements which is located at the opposite side of the apertured member from the interposed stationary member and to have the elements capable of projection from this stationary support to en- Heretofore, it has been necessary to pro-- gage the interposed stationary member, The elements are preferably in the nature of dogs or bolts.

The invention further provides in a circular knitting machine, the combination of two rotary members nesting one inside the other, a stationary member interposed between them, a common rotary support to which both rotary members are attached and by which they are supported and driven, and mechanism for supporting the stationary member and for preventing its rotation, comprising a plurality of equally-spaced and circumferentially-extending apertures in one of the rotary members, a greater number of nonrotatable locking elements having an even circumferential spacing less than that of the apertures, and cams rotating with the rotary members for shifting each locking element through each aperture passing it, into locking engagement with the stationary member and for then retracting that locking member when the. end of that aperture arrives at it.

' The invention is particularly applicable to knitting machines of the superimposed needle cylinn over which the wrap threads are laid Due to the der type wherein the two rotary members are instrument beds; for example one may be a needle cylinder and the other may be a cylinder carrying wrap-striping instruments. Specically, the invention is applicable to a machine such as that described in applicants co-pending U. S. Patent application, Serial No. 694,730, now Patent No. 2,463,751, wherein the cylinders revolve and there is provided within the top needle cylinder a cylindrical instrument bed for wrap-striping instruments and between this top cylinder and its lower end a circumferentially extending cantilever wire presence of the knitting elements, the fabric, and the weft yarn being fed to the needles, it is impossible to support this stationary sleeve otherwise than by its vupper end so that the needle cylinder is outside the sleeve and the wrap cylinder and its instruments are within it. By providing apparatus according to the present invention it is possible to carry both the top needle cylinder and the wrap instrument cylinder on a common carriage or rotary support in one bearing, thereby securing the advantages previously enumerated. In order to ensure that the sleeve is adequately supported in its stationary attitude, preferably the arrangement is such that a plurality of substantially equally spaced locking elements are all operative at any given time. The cylinder is thus restrained against rocking.

The foregoing and other features of the invention are incorporated in the construction which will now be described, as an example of the application of the invention to a machine according to the aforesaid co-pending patent application, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a cross section in a vertical plane through the top needle cylinder and associated parts;

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line A--A in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing mechanism for adjusting the height of the stationary sleeve.

In the accompanying drawings only sufficient of the knitting machine is shown to permit it to he identified.

The top needle cylinder I depends fromy an annular carriage 2 provided with a circumferential series of teeth 3 meshing with a pinion 4 on a vertical drive shaft 5 disposed exteriorly of the cylinder and of the stationary cam box 6, The weight of the carriage and of the parts attached to it is supported by a thrust bearing 1 (preferably of the ball bearing type) from a stationary external housing 8 supporting the cam box. Furthermore, the carriage 2 is rotatably journaled in said external housing 8. The upper part of the carriage 2, above the bearing '1, is cut circumlferentially with two diametrically opposed windows 25, Fig. 2, each of which extends for somewhat less than 180 these windows being separated by two narrow and dia- .metrically opposed posts 9, which support the unmutilated top IU of the carriage .2. From this unmutilated top portion I there depends the lower part of the cylinder Il for the wrap-striping instruments 26. It will therefore be understood that the two rotary cylinders have a comlmon rotary support (i. e. the carriage 2) by which they are both supported and driven.

The stationary sleeve I2 hangs down inside the needle cylinder vI and its upper end surrounds the lower end of the wrap-stripe cylinder I'I, and it is necessary to provide mechanism for supporting this sleeve and for preventing its rotation. This mechanism consists of a plurality Vof circumferentially-spaced locking elements I3 which are mounted on a stationary support .ring I4, encircling the apertured part of the rotatable carriage 2 and are capable of projection one after another through the windows 25 to engage in holes I in the sleeve I2; the mechanism is .so constructed and larranged that each locking element I3 is retracted as one of the posts 9 reaches it and is projected immediately after the passage of that post, at least two diametrically opposed elements being always engaged with the sleeve I2. Conveniently, there are four of these elements I3; each of them consists of a dog or dowel IB, projecting radially inwards from the free end of a lever 21 which extends substantially circumferentially of the apparatus and is pivoted at I1 on the support ring I4. The free end of each lever 21 further carries a ,cam follower I8, and is arranged to be engaged by two diametrically ,op-posed cams I9 which depend from the unmutilated part of the carriage 2 outside these followers, These cams I9 are located in register with the windows 25 `in the carriage 2 and the result is that when during rotation of the carriage the leading end of `one of the cams I9 engages a follower I8 .the .associated lever 21 is rocked inwards and its `dowel I6 passes through the rotating window 25 and plugs into the appropriate hole or socket I5 in the sleeve I2. It remains in engagement until released by one yor other of two further rotatable cams. These cams are constituted by the posts 9, which have their leading and trailing edges bevelled. Thus, when one of the posts 9 engages a follower I8 in its rotation the associated lever 21 is swung outwards so that the dowel I6 is disengaged from the sleeve I2 and is moved to an outer position permitting the post 9 to rotate past it. Immediately this post 9 has passed, the dowel I6 is again moved inwards by one of the cams I9.

VIn the construction shown the upper' parts of the posts 9 are wider than the lower parts. The upper and wider parts have bevelled edges 20, forming cams which, during rotation, engage the followers I8, swinging the elements I3 about their pivots I1 and bringing the dowels I6 out oi the holes I5. The lower parts of the posts 9, which are reduced in width to clear the elements I3 during this first part of the movement, have the cam surfaces 2|, formed on them which engage the dowels I6 of the elements I3 and swing the elements still further to allow the posts themselves to pass,

Since there are four dogs or dowels spaced apart and two Windows 25 each extending at its wider part through substantially more tha-n 90, at all times at least two diametrically opposed dowels are in engagement with the sleeve; indeed, during -certain phases of rotation all four dowels are engaged.

During oscillation of the needle cylinder (e. g. while knitting the heel and toe of a sock or the like) the mechanism operates in substantially the same manner as during rotation, the cams having both ends or flanks bevelled so that they operate satisfactorily during the movement in each direction.

In addition to the foregoing mechanism for holding the sleeve I2 stationary, means are also provided for raising and lowering the sleeve so that the height of the wire 28 may be adjusted. For this purpose the support ring I4 (on which the levers 21 are pivoted) is adjustable for height thereby carrying the levers, dowels, and sleeve with it. The said ring has its lower edge cut to form a plurality of identical and equally spaced ramps or calm surfaces 22, and it rests upon an operating member constituted by a cam ring 23 having its upper surface formed with complernentary configurations. This cam ring 23 is carried by the stationary housing 8, and by adjusting it eircumf-erentially the ring I4 is raised and lowered, this circumferential adjustment being effected by suitable control mechanism 29 extending from the control drum of the machine or from a chain or pattern drum.

We claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of two rotary members nesting one inside the other, a stationary member interposed between them, a comm-on rotary .support to which both rotary members are attached and by which they are supported `and driven, and mechanism for supporting the stationary member and for preventing its rotation comprising at least one circumferentially-extending aperture or window in one of the rotary members, a plurality of non rotatable and circumferentially-spaced locking elements capable of projection one after the other through the rotating aperture to support and lock the stationary interposed member, and means for projecting each one of said elements in turn lonly while the aperture passes it, the arrangement of winch mechanism is such that at all times at least one element is operative.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, having a stationary support for the locking elements which is located at the opposite side of the apertured member from the interposed stationary member, and having the elements capable of projection from this stationary support to engage the interposed stationary member.

3. In a circular knitting machine the combination of two rotary members nesting one inside the other, a stationary member interposed between them, a common rotary support to which both rotary members are attached and by which they are supported and driven, and mechanism for supporting the stationary member and for preventing its rotation comprising at least one circumferentially-extending aperture or Window in one of the rotary members, a plurality of nonrotatable and circumferentially-spaced locking elements capable of projection one after the other through the aperture to support and lock the stationary interposed member, and at least one rotary outer cam for moving the locking elements one after another in one direction and at least on-e rotary inner cam for moving the locking elements one after another in the opposite direction. 1

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, having one of the cams constituted -by the margins of the aperture.

.5. In a circular knitting machine, the combination of two rotary members nesting one inside the other, a stationary member interposed between them, a common rotary support to which both rotary members are attached and by which they are supported and driven, and mechanism for supporting the stationary member and for preventing its rotation, comprising a plurality of equally-spaced and circumferentially extending apertures in one of the rotary members, a greater number of non-rotatable locking elements having an even circumferential spacing less than that of the apertures, and cams rotating with the rotary members for shifting each locking element, through each aperture passing it, into locking engagement with the stationary member and for then retracting that locking member when the -end of that aperture arrives at it.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, having means for adjusting the stationary member axially.

7. In a circular knitting machine the combination of two rotary members nesting one inside the other, a stationary member interposed between them, a common rotary support to which both rotary members are attached and by which they are supported and driven, and mechanism for supporting the stationary member and for preventing its rotation comprising at least one circumferentially extending aperture in one of the rotary members, a plurality of non-rotatable and circumferentially spaced locking elements capable of projection one after the other through the aperture for supporting and locking the stationary interposed member, a stationary support member for the locking elements, means for projecting each element in turn through the passing aperture to engage and support the stationary member, and means for producing axial displacement of the stationary member, which means comprises an operating member capable of movement of partial rotation, surfaces interposed between the stationary support member and the operating member for producing axial displacement of the support member upon partial rotation of the operating member, and means for producing this partial rotation.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, when apr plied to a machine of the superimposed needle cylinder type wherein one of the rotary members is a needle cylinder a-nd the other is a cylinder for wrap striping instruments, and the stationary member is a sleeve carrying a circumferentially-extending cantilever wire over which the wrap threads are laid.

FREDERICK EDWARD DEANS.

CARLYLE HERBERT WAINWRIGHT.

No references cited. 

